This was a crazy up down left and right week. We had a lot going on and a lot randomly things that we had to take care of. We spent a lot of time out of our area dealing with one thing or another. But overall it was a good week. I am so grateful that even though we were gone a lot the lord still let us get a lot of work done while we were here. We set another date with a guy who we knocked into. He is a really cool guy and has had a lot of cool spiritual experiences with the book of Mormon; I am so glad that the spirit had let me know that that book is true. It along with the bible contains the fullness of the gospel. I am so glad that i have both book and that I have thins chance to tell others about them.

               All of the people that we have baptismal dates with are progressing really well. They are moving forward and the lord is working on their hearts. The work is true and this church is true. The lord’s hand is in all things.

               I want to all to know that I love you. I thank your for your faith and for your prayers. I know that this church is true because the spirit of God told me so. And that same spirit will tell all who are willing to learn that it is true.

               I hope you all have a great week.

-- 

Elder Jacob Gibson of the Iowa Des Moines mission

So I am completely unsure where to begin to describe this week. Well we had a baptism but it did not count for us. We were only going to be in Nauvoo one day this week and one day turned into 4 and transfers where this week but we are both staying.

               That was the short version now here is the long version. The week started well. We have some really solid people that we are working with and the lord is really blessing this area. On Tuesday we got word that we where needed in Nauvoo to help teach a lady. At the time we did not know what we were getting ourselves into. So this lady was from Russia and could not speak English. Her husband was also from Russia and could speak English and was an active endowed member. This lady was visiting Nauvoo and was friends with some people form the Nauvoo Pageant cast so she wanted to be baptized while she was in Nauvoo. So in a couple days we taught all of the lessons and then interviewed her for baptism and then had the baptism on Friday. It was really cool because many of the cast members where there and they sang a really awesome musical number. We only had a couple days to get to know this Russian couple but we really enjoyed talking with them and they are solid members. Because of all of that craziness we were out of our area a lot but we still managed to get a decent amount of work done. The work is pressing forward and we are finding people with soft hearts.

               I am so grateful to all of you for your faith and for your example. I hope all is well and look forward to hearing from you soon, have a fantabulious week.



P.S.


With the Nauvoo pageant going on we have the opportunity to deliver copies of the musical highlight from the pageant and a copy of the restoration DVD to people. we need names to send theses to people around the world. please send me peoples names and phone numbers (and address if you have them) by next week. the sisters in nauvoo will call them and ask them if they want a copy of theses things. the music is really cool and i know they will like it. please get me as many names as you possibly can. this is a great missionary opportunity. i need them by next Monday. that is the last chance. they can live anywhere in the world

SO as today is not our p day because it is transfer week (though they still ask us to email no Mondays) we have an appointment to get to and not a lot of time so this will be short.  (Really short because I have also been promising a lot of people that I would write them and have not done it yet) lucky this was a really stagnate week. Not much changed. We found a family that we are now teaching but other than that we did not have anyone drop off. So we are doing our best to try to find more people to teach and to bring people unto Christ. We spent hours and hours and hours knocking doors this week, which really is the least productive thing that we could do but it is all that we had to do. We talked to a lot of really cool people and I am excited to follow up with each of them this week. Transfers are this week but we are both staying here, which is exactly what we expected. I love this town. It is a great place to serve and the ward is amazing here. I will miss this place when I leave. Our 3 baptism dates are progressing really well they will each their scheduled dates. Other than that we are finding more people to teach and taking advantage of the summer weather by walking…… a lot….. It is sweet. I love you all thank you so much for your faith and for your prayers. I hope to have more time next week

This week was a week full of miracles. We have been working hard and there have been a lot of disappointments but there have also been a lot of really cool miracles. I am not sure if I already told this story but I will again and then I will add onto it. So about 3 months ago I felt like we needed to go talk to this family and things just never worked out for that to happen. Well about a month ago my companion was on exchanges and they happened to contact this family. The lady I talked about last week that we set a baptism date with. We worked with this lady off and on for the last month but she kept saying that there was this wall that she could not get past. No matter how hard she tried it would not go away and although she has been going for years she won’t be baptized. A couple weeks ago we again where on exchanges, there was a young man here who is a convert to the church and he is from the South Pacific a place called the keribus islands his name is Elder Teck. He went with Elder Austin to go see this lady. They got talking and she asked this young elder where he was from and he said the south pacific and she got excited because one of her grandsons who lives in Utah served his mission in the south pacific they got talking and to make a long story short her grandson was there with Elder Teck when he opened his mission call. When her grandson from Utah found out that elder Teck was going to Iowa he told him that he was to find his Grandma who was not baptized and baptize her. At this point elder Teck looked this lady in the eyes and said “I am going to baptize you”. She called her grandson and Elder Teck and him talked in his native language for a bit.

               A few days later we came by and tried to set a baptism date with her using this experience to help her understand that if God was willing to send a young man half way across the world to find her she must be supper important to him. She did not take this very well and was a little upset with us. She told us later that she could not sleep because of how upset she was at us for trying to push her when she was not ready. So last Sunday night she felt really sick and emotionally drained she was nervous about being baptized. She went into her room and laid on her bed and she says at this moment suddenly that wall disappeared. She finally felt free. We came back a few days later and she had already started getting things organized for her baptism. She was calling family in Utah and seeing when everyone could make it. The lord softened her heart and although she will not be baptized until after I am home she is progressing fast and is doing amazingly well. She is so grateful now that we sent that date with her and is eager to be baptized.

               Ok now for the second miracle. A few weeks ago we started teaching a young man who we felt was golden. Well he was progressing extremely fast and it seemed like nothing could stop him. Then suddenly he messed up and cut off all communication. We have been trying to get ahold of him for a week and a half. Yesterday we were driving and we saw him on the side of the street. We pulled over and he was supper excited to see us again. He has been going through some really bad things in his life and the environment he is in is full of all kinds of drugs and really bad things. So he is moving out and is willing to meet again and desperately wants to feel the spirit again and start progressing.

               Although along with all theses there was a lot of down turns our heads are up and things are looking great. I am so excited for all that is going on here in Burlington. We have a lot of really cool people here and things are looking up. We have been working hard and the lord is blessing us greatly. I love you all thank you so much for all that you are doing. I pray for you. Have a great week.

-- 

Elder Jacob Gibson of the Iowa Des Moines mission

this week in Iowa

This week was another up and down week. The young man who we have been working with who was progressing towards a baptism date of next week, slipped up and smoked again and now feels really guilty and has been unwilling to meet with us the past few days. We are praying for him a lot and there are a few members of the ward that are trying to help him understand repentance and how it is ok to start again.

               We did set another date this week though. With a young lady who has been coming to church for over 30 years. (When I say young I mean 76) she is still unsure if she is ready but we are working with her on this. She is an amazing lady and has a testimony already but if afraid for some reason of being baptized.

               Other than that we were out of our area a lot this week on exchanges and working with others. The lord is really blessing this area. We have so many hard working missionaries around us. I am so grateful for all that I am learning from them. It is amazing that half our zone is sister missionaries. I never would have imagined that to be possible. Also some exciting news for this week, we got a new mission president. I have not had the chance to talk with him yet but we will be able to in a few days.

               I thank all of you for all you do for me. I love you have a great week.